Till Death Do Us Part
by Dark Goddess1
Summary: At last, the fic you've all been waiting for! It's Alex and John's wedding! And no wedding is complete without a whole lot of drama...and this one is full of it.
1. Part I: The Proposal

Till Death Do Us Part: The Wedding Of Alexandra Cabot and John Munch

Author's Notes: The idea for this story has actually sat in my mind for a very long time, but I never did anything about it until a reviewer for my most recent Cabot/Munch story said that she couldn't wait to see the wedding. That sparked it in my mind to get my rear in gear and write this. So, now, I give you the five-part story of John and Alex's wedding, which includes the proposal, Alex preparing for the wedding, the wedding itself, the reception, and parts of their honeymoon in Washington, D.C. I'm also planning to go into more detail about the honeymoon in the sequel "Honeymoon In Washington." So enjoy the wedding and be a polite guest and leave reviews.

Part I: The Proposal

"There's a magic only two can tell/In the dark night, ultra violet is a wicked spell/The stars and planets taking shape/A stolen kiss has come too late"

-Savage Garden, "Carry On Dancing"

"You look so beautiful." John Munch said as he watched his girlfriend, Alexandra Cabot walk towards him from the front doors of the restaurant. "You smell nice, too." He made sure to add that the moment he caught a whiff of her perfume.  "You look like a fifties movie queen, like Marilyn Monroe."

Alex beamed at first, and then she smirked. She had bathed using her sensuality aromatherapy from Bath and Body Works in Ylang-Ylang Myrrh and then, put on a gorgeous black silk dress, black silk gloves, black high heels, black knee-highs and diamond earrings, a diamond choker and a tennis bracelet. To go the extra mile, she'd even used a black clutch purse. "Be thankful, John." She said. "I would not do this for anyone else but you. And don't think for a second that this was not a lot of work. Curling my hair takes time."

"Well, I'm impressed." He said. "But you look sexy with curls in your hair. In fact, you look sexy and sensual all over." 

Alex smiled her megawatt smile at him and John was thankful for his dark glasses, because her smile nearly blinded him. Then, she took her seat across from him. "So, is tonight something special or something because you rarely tell me to meet you at some place fancy like the Starlet Restaurant and Lounge and to dress to the nines unless it's a special occasion."

"You don't remember what tonight is?" John asked, peering at her over the rims of his glasses.

"March 5?" Alex asked.

"Think back about four years." John hinted.

Alex thought for a moment, then her eyes shot open wide.  "Oh, my god! Tonight's our anniversary! I can't believe that I forgot something like that!"

"Well, I can't say that I blame you." He said. "You did mention on the phone earlier this week that you had arraignments and warrants and trials coming out of your ears. Which of course gave me ample time to plan a really great surprise for you. And judging by the look on your face, you are already liking this."

She smiled again and leaned in to kiss him. "You have no idea." She murmured as she kissed him deeply. John moaned inwardly. Kissing Alex, no, simply being with Alex was always a wonderful experience. She made him feel about twenty years younger and he enjoyed it. He wasn't sure if he could ever quite let that go.

"I love you." He murmured against her lips.

"I know." She murmured back.  "I love you, too."

"Excuse me, but if you two are quite finished, I'd like to take your orders now." The waiter was standing over them and he looked very annoyed. 

Alex pulled away from John and giggled.

Sometime later, the two were sharing a bottle of champagne and when Alex took a long sip of her champagne, something hard it her teeth. Curiously Alex put down her glass, picked up her spoon and fished out something silver at the bottom of her glass.

It was a ring. A beautiful silver ring with a large diamond on it. 

Alex gasped. "John…is that what I think it is?"

Smiling and taking his glasses off so that he could look into her eyes, John took Alex's hand in his and said, "Alexandra, you are everything my other wives were not. You're brilliant, you're bold and you're beautiful and I love you more every day. I can't imagine my life without you. Alexandra Cabot, the love of my life, will you marry me?"

Alex put her hand to her mouth and began to stammer. For once she seemed to be a total loss for words. It went on for about five minutes until she finally spit out, "What did you just say?"

"I asked you to marry me." John said calmly. He was expecting this kind of reaction from Alex. 

Alex gasped. She was in shock and she continued to babble on like an idiot for another five minutes until she finally spit out "YES! Yes, John, I will marry you!"


	2. Part II: Musings

Till Death Do Us Part

Part II: Musings

_~Two Days Later~_

"My God, Alex, that is a huge rock." Serena Southerlyn said as she admired Alex's engagement ring on her left hand. "It's gorgeous! Where did you get it?"

"John proposed at last." Alex said. "And we have to plan a wedding as fast as possible."

Alex was having lunch with three of her closest friends, Serena, her colleague, Olivia Benson, one of the SVU detectives that worked for Alex and Abbie Carmichael, who was an ex-ADA turned federal prosecutor and up from Washington for a week.

"Well, you can count on us to help." Olivia added. "What kind of ceremony do you want to have?"

"That's where one of our problems is." Alex replied. "John's Jewish and me converting would quite literally months. It's the same the other way around. So, we were thinking of him being the one to convert. I don't want to have to explain to my parents that I'm marrying a Jewish man. They're going to freak out enough once they meet him."

"Why is that?" Abbie asked as she took a sip from her glass of iced tea.

"My Father is a Democrat." Alex said, flatly. "And we all know how John feels about Democrats. I'm dreading bringing him to Boston to meet them…. and this is if they _don't_ give me a headache about the age gap. Makes me thankful that he won't be introducing me to any of his family."

"Sounds like you two are in for a rough ride." Serena remarked.

"Oh, grow up, Serena." Abbie chided. "There is nothing wrong with dating an older man."

"Really?" Serena asked. "How would you know?"

Abbie sighed. "I know because I'm currently dating my former boss."

Alex nearly spit out her Diet Coke. "You're WHAT?"

"Jack and I have been seeing each other ever since I left the DA's office. He's the reason why I come up from DC every weekend. I'm working one getting transferred up here so that he and I can move in together." Abbie sighed. "We like to think of it as a chance to make up for all the times we DIDN'T act on the attraction between us."

Olivia and Serena exchanged looks while Alex and Abbie shared knowing grins. It was comforting for Alex to know that she wasn't alone in the world of younger women dating older men and actually falling madly in love with them.

Meanwhile, John had just broken the news to Odafin "Fin" Tutola, his partner, in the privacy of their car.

"I can't believe that you've been banging our ADA and you didn't think to tell me about it." Fin said. "And now, you're going to marry her. The Captain will NOT like this."

"Well, we wanted to be a little bit discreet." John said. "And it hasn't interfered with our work in any way. In fact, judging by your reaction, you could have never guessed that Alex and I had a thing until I told you."

"Damn straight." Fin muttered. "So, you want me to be your best man or something?"

John smirked. "Why not, I mean you ARE my partner and all."

"I guess this means that'll Stabler, the Captain and I will be throwing you one heck of a bachelor party seeing as this is your fifth walk down the aisle and all."

"No strippers." John said. "And you have to invite two other guests from the twenty-seventh precinct: Lennie Briscoe and Ed Green."

"And why those 2?" Fin asked. 

"Well, let's just say that Lennie owes me." John was thinking about Gwen again as he spoke. (For all those who don't know, Gwen is John's second ex-wife…and Lennie Briscoe slept with her) He then sighed. "I can't believe that she said yes. I can't believe that she picked me. I must be the luckiest guy in the whole world."

"Either that, or you're dreaming." Fin replied.


	3. Part III: Bachelors and Bachelorettes

Part III: Bachelors and Bachelorettes

_~Four Months Later~_

"For the last time, Fin, I am not going to have a bachelor party with strippers!!" John said. "Alex will kill me if she finds our that I slept with some stripper the night before my wedding and on top of that, I don't want to go into cardiac arrest!"

Fin and John were walking through the station house one afternoon, discussing a possible bachelor party for John, who was getting married in a month. John was on his way out to meet Alex, his fiancé for lunch.

"John, come on now, what is the point of getting married without having a bachelor party beforehand?" Fin asked. 

"I've had four, already, Fin. I don't need another." John said. 

"At least agree to having a bachelor party…a lower class of bachelor party, anyway." Fin said. "Just, me, you, Elliot, the Capitan and Green and Briscoe. We'll have drinks and a good time without fine-ass women takin' their clothes off."

"The only fine-ass woman I'm concerned with, Fin, is the one sitting over there at my desk, reading a copy of _Bride's _magazine. " John gestured towards his desk, where Alex was sitting, patiently reading a bridal magazine. "That woman, that, brilliant, bold, ball-busting, beautiful woman, is my wife-to-be… and I'm looking forward to marrying her."

"I bet that you said that about all of your exes." Fin joked.

"Actually, I only said that about my first wife." John confessed. "Alex is the second. I looked forward to all of my other weddings with a mixture of anticipation and dread.  As for my marriage to Alex, well, this might be the best marriage I ever had after that first wife…and given my track record, that's saying something."

Just then, Alex looked up from her magazine and smiled. "Ready to go, John?" she asked, putting the magazine into her shoulder bag that bore an "A" initial on the side.

"You want to come with us, Fin?" John asked. "I mean, we have years of 'lunches for two' ahead and everything."

"No, thanks, I think I'll just leave you to it."

John shrugged. "Suit yourself." He took Alex's arm. "Let's go, beautiful."

As they, left, Fin heard Alex say, "And I thought that you didn't care about beauty."

Fin chuckled to himself and turned back, to his desk, only to be approached by Cragen. 

"Was that Alex I just saw on John's arm?" Cragen asked.

"Yeah." Fin replied. "Why?"

"Uh, last I heard, ADAs don't date the detectives who work for them." Cragen said. "How long have John and Alex been dating?"

_I'm beginning to see why John and Alex kept this a secret. _Fin thought, then he said. "Four years and they are getting married next month."

"WHAT?!" Cragen roared. 

"He was going to tell you sooner or later." Fin said. "But, he wanted to keep it a secret from everyone…including you and I don't know why."

A short while later, after John returned, Cragen found out why John had kept his relationship a secret: to keep prevent reactions much like his.

While John was getting chewed out by Cragen, Alex, her maid of honor, Olivia and her two bridesmaids: Abbie and Serena, were at Alex's gown fitting.

"Alex, that is a beautiful dress." Abbie murmured. "You look absolutely stunning."

Alex had chosen a beautiful white silk gown with sequins all over it, a long train, and lace accents. She looked gorgeous in it as she twirled around in it for the delight of her companions.

"Isn't it?' Alex said. She was on cloud nine. "I love this dress. I can't wait for John to see me in it."

"What about your parents?" Serena asked.

All the color drained from Alex's face. "Oh, my God, I cannot believe that I forgot about that." She groaned. "John and I are going to Boston next weekend for him to meet them. This is going to be a total nightmare! I'm not looking forward to it."

"Well, look on the bright side." Serena said. "If your parents don't like him, at least you'll have two less people on the guest list."

"Serena, these are my parents!" Alex cried. "I want them to be there on my wedding day! I want them to celebrate my marriage with me!"

"Which might not happen if they don't like John." Olivia said.

Alex sighed as she went to change her clothes. "Which is the last thing that I want to happen." She murmured as her cell phone began to ring.

"Cabot."

It was John. "Alex, we have a small problem."

"Can't be any worse than the possibility of my parents hating you."

"Oh yes it can."

"And how is that?"

"Cragen wants us to call off the wedding and break up."

"He WHAT?!"

_Stay tuned for the continuing drama of the next part of "Till Death Do Us Part"! Coming up next: John Munch meets Mr. And Mrs. Cabot!_


	4. Part IV: Cabot v Cragen

Part IV: Cabot v. Cragen

 Alex dashed out of the bridal shop, caught a cab and was back at the station house in record time. She stormed through the squad room and right into Cragen's office. She slammed the door shut and shouted. "What gives you the goddamn right?!"

Cragen was behaving as though nothing had happened. "What gives me the right to do what, exactly, Alex?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

"To insist upon John and me breaking off and not having our wedding!" Alex roared. "For your information, what goes on around closed doors is none of your business!"

"It is when it involves one of my people and my ADA!" Cragen shouted. "Do you really think you could pull something like this off without anyone having so much as a clue about it? Or without risking some serious repercussions?"

"Well, Don, considering that before now, you never suspected that John and I were together…which went on for four years behind your back, I think that he and I thought that it was possible! Now, I don't care what you think about it, but I can assure you that my intimate relationship with John doesn't cloud my judgment, nor do I allow it to interfere with our jobs. Now, if you don't mind, Captain Cragen, I have to get back to the office and prep for an arraignment!" With that, she stormed out of the office, slamming the door so hard behind her that one of his pictures fell off the wall.

_A few hours later…._

Alex was sitting at her desk, scribbling furiously on a legal pad when a knock came at the door. 

"Come in." She said, sharply, still infuriated with Cragen.

It was John. "Hey, beautiful." He said softly. 

Her expression changed almost immediately. "Hey. I thought that Cragen had forbidden us from seeing each other."

"After your little outburst, he reconsidered and is now insisting that we have the wedding at the station house." John replied with a smirk. "Well, we now know where to tell the florist to send the flowers."

Alex giggled.


	5. Part V: In The Company Of The Cabots, Pa...

Part V: In The Company Of The Cabots, part I

_~One week later~_

"Okay, why are we doing this again?" John asked for the millionth time that evening as he and Alex approached the front doors of Cabot Manor, Alex's home in the suburb of North Boston in Massachusetts.  He kept straightening his tie.

"We are doing this because it's high time that you met my parents and they met you." Alex said, coolly as she smoothed out the wrinkles on her suit. "And as long as you and my father don't discuss politics or religion, you'll get along nicely."

"And why is that?" John asked.

"My father is a Democrat who hates Jewish people, and guys like you who are insistent that 'big brother' is always watching. He thinks that you're all nuts. So, please, John, I am begging you: leave your political convictions at the freakin' door!""

John sighed. _Anything for Alex._ He reminded himself as he watched Alex ring the doorbell. _Brace yourself._


	6. Part VI: In The Company Of The Cabots, P...

Part VI: In The Company Of The Cabots, Part II

   The front door opened and an attractive woman in her fifties answered the door.

Alex smiled when she saw the woman. "Hello, Mother." She said. "How are you?"

"Alexandra!" The woman cried, sweeping Alex into a tight hug "It's so wonderful to see you! How have you been? And what on earth are you doing here? You never come home unless you have something very important to tell me."

Alex wasted no time in getting straight to the point. After taking a deep breath, she dropped a bombshell on her mother: "Mother, I'm getting married… in a month… and I want you and Daddy to be there at my wedding."

Mrs. Cabot looked shocked for a moment, and then she squealed with joy and started babbling on and on about how happy she was that Alex was getting married. That went on for another five minutes or so before John cleared his throat and extended his hand. He was putting on a friendly façade for Alex's parents and he hated it…but he also wanted to make a good first impression on them.

"Hello, Mrs. Cabot." John said. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise." Mrs. Cabot said. "Alex, is this…" She trailed off.

Alex gave John's hand a squeeze and she smiled. "Mother, this is John Munch, the love of my life and my fiancé.  John, this is my mother."

"Why, he's so handsome!" Mrs. Cabot said. "And please, John, call me Cassandra. I take it that Alexandra's told you a lot about me."

"Oh, she has." John said. "Some days she'll go on about you for hours."

Mrs. Cabot laughed at that. "Oh, please, come in. I'm sure that Richard would just love to meet you. Richard is my husband and Alexandra's father. I'm sure he'll just love you."

_I highly doubt that._ Alex thought as she and John were ushered inside.

As they were lead to the parlor, Mrs. Cabot asked, "John, do you make my daughter happy?"

John wasn't expecting to be asked such a question and he hesitated for moment. After a thought or two, he said. "I'm not sure, Mrs. Cabot. Why don't you ask her if I keep her happy and satisfied?"

Mrs. Cabot directed her gaze at her daughter and Alex said, with a smile, "Yes…John makes me feel like the most wonderful and loved person on the face of the earth."

Mrs. Cabot smiled warmly at John. "That's all I need to hear to make me happy. As long as you make her happy, John, I will always welcome you into my home. My husband, on the other hand, is a different story. He has never liked any of Alex's boyfriends, not even the ones who were so like him, and it's scary. He's determined not to see our baby's wedding day."

"And you are, Mrs. Cabot?" John asked. 

"Oh yes." She said. "Nothing would make me prouder or happier than to see my little girl walk down that aisle."

"And for me to have kids." Alex whispered to John, who chuckled.

The parlor was a room that looked to John like an enormous living room. So far the house took his breath away. It was absolutely amazing. He couldn't believe that Alex's family had so much money. And he was beginning to wonder why they were having such a hard time paying for wedding expenses.

Just then, John's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Alex's voice. "Something wrong, John?" she asked, looking at him worriedly.

"It's nothing." He told her. "I'll tell you later, ok?"

She smiled.

It took John a moment to find Mr. Cabot. He was sitting in a big chair beside the fireplace, reading a book.

"Richard?" Mrs. Cabot ventured.

"What do you want, Cassandra?" Mr. Cabot replied in a sharp tone.

Alex did all the talking. "Daddy, I'm getting married." She said. "See?" She showed off her engagement ring. "The wedding is next month. I want you to give me away."

Richard looked up and looked John up and down for a moment, and then he said. "Over my dead body." 

"Richard!" Mrs. Cabot said. "Don't be rude!"

_Not a good sign._John thought.  

Then, Mr. Cabot dropped a bombshell. "What political party do you belong to?" He asked John.

Alex groaned. The evening was _not_ off to a very good start. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dinner was about ten times worse. 

Mr. Cabot and John spend the entire meal either sniping or having all out shouting matches. In the end, Mr. Cabot threw both John and Alex out of the manor and told them never to come back. 

On the train ride back to New York, Alex cried and the moment they got home, she locked herself in the bathroom and didn't come out until long after John had gone to bed.


	7. Part VII: Brian Cassidy Returns

Part VII: Brian Cassidy Returns

"Alex are you sure that the bridesmaids have to match?" Olivia asked. "I'm not liking this dress."

Alex rolled her eyes. "Olivia, for the millionth time, you look fine! We are not going to sit here all afternoon while you debate over the dresses! And yes, you have to match!"

Four days had passed since the disaster at Cabot Manor and Alex was almost back to her old self. But in order to get that way, she'd spent two days locked up in her den with several pounds of fudge and her tapes of Food Network shows. Now, she was in a dress shop with Abbie, Serena and Olivia for a bridesmaid gown fitting and unfortunately, Olivia, the maid of honor was having a small problem: the idea of being seen in a strapless gown was suddenly making her question _everything_ about herself, especially her chest size. All of a sudden, Olivia Benson thought that her breasts were too big, which Alex thought was the most absurd thing she'd ever heard, considering that other women in the shop kept admiring Olivia and asking her all sorts of questions.

As for Abbie and Serena, well, they were cranky and they were sick of Olivia's sudden insecurities. 

Olivia crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you sure? I look cheap in this."

"Olivia! Get a grip!" Alex cried. "We don't have time for you to be fickle! You look gorgeous! You are not going to spill out of your dress!"

"Are you sure about that?" Olivia stared worriedly into the mirror as she examined herself for what seemed like the zillionth time. "I'd hate to flash Elliot in the middle of the ceremony. I may never be able to look him in the face again."

The mental imagery made Abbie giggle.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Olivia." Alex said. "You look perfectly fine."

"I feel very very exposed in this…are you sure that I have to wear this?" Olivia asked.

Alex threw up her hands and groaned. 

"Please tell me that she's not always like this." Serena whispered to Abbie.

"No, she's rarely like this." Abbie replied. "Normally, Olivia's unbelievably confident. But, then again, Olivia rarely wears skirts, unlike you, Alex and me. She's just not used to this."

"Olivia, I know women who would DIE to look like you!" Alex cried. "You at least have time to work out. Now, would you please stop whining?"

"Maybe I should lose some weight." Olivia muttered.

Alex looked like she was ready to scream.

Just then, the door of the shop opened and in walked a handsome man with spiky brown hair and blue eyes wearing an attractive suit. He walked right up to Alex and asked, "You wouldn't happen to be Alexandra Cabot would you?"

Alex looked a little surprised. "Depends on who's asking." She replied. "Who the hell are you?"

"Brian Cassidy." He said, shaking her hand.

"Do I know you?" Alex asked.

"No… I'd remember someone as beautiful as you… actually, it's John Munch, your fiancé, who knows me."

Brian replied. "I used to be his partner in the SVU before I got transferred. Turns out I didn't have the emotional strength to deal with the cases…" he sighed. "But that's not why I'm here. I'm here to do him a favor."

"What kind of favor?" Alex asked.

"How would you like me to pay for your wedding?" Brian asked. "To me, money is no object…I'll cover all the costs."

Alex's jaw dropped. "WHAT?"

"I asked you if you would like me to pay for your wedding." Brian repeated calmly. 

Alex was speechless and she did the only thing that came to mind… she fainted.__


End file.
